The lucky stroke crippled me and gave me a new life. Now I'm just unbelievably good looking and modest. Always turn a little to the left.

18 Jan 2011

WHO REALLY OWNS THE CABS IN CANBERRA-Not the drivers!

New plates release 'will drive cabbies to wall' so say the owners

BY NOEL TOWELL, CHIEF ASSEMBLY REPORTER

18 Jan, 2011 08:27 AM: Edited by Stephen W T Read 11:43

Has any one in Canberra tried to book a cab lately, you ring , book then if it ever arrives you pay $4.50 for the booking.

Drivers,not owners will tell you that booking a cab means nothing, and does not mean you will get one.
Then drivers tell you that the only way of guaranteeing a cab is to book Silver Service(part of the same company) for a booking fee of $12.50.

Owner drivers are a rarity, multiple cabs are owned by one person, they pay drivers a pittance and then complain when the gov't releases new plates.

The service in the ACT is atrocious particularly for the disabled who sometimes wait hours for a cab.

The government should ensure that ownership of cabs cannot be monopolised by a few.

The ACT Government says it is putting an extra 25 taxis on Canberra's roads in an effort to tackle the capital's chronic shortage of cabs. Despite the objections of drivers,it's not the drivers complaining to any new cabs on the road it's the greedy owners.

The Government is threatening to release 25 more licences at the end of this year if response times in the city don't improve.

Chief Minister and Minister for Territory and Municipal Services Jon Stanhope also announced four(not enough) new wheelchair taxi plates this year and the introduction of a centralised booking service that he said would improve reliability and service for disabled passengers.

There is also to be a system that links further releases of taxi licences to the city's population growth.